The Runaway Mermaid - Chapter 3

By the time the gathering ended, I had nearly lost my voice.

Only after Lu Jingran drove Qin Yan home did he finally notice me.

“Gone mute?”

I said nothing. I was close enough to it.

What he did not know was that every merfolk song came at a cost to the singer—especially when someone like me was forced to sing day and night without rest.

When I kept silent, he raised an eyebrow. “Sulking now?

“Qin Yan has only just come home. What’s wrong with indulging her a little? All I asked you to do was sing. It wasn’t going to kill you.”

“I’m not sulking.”

The words emerged so harsh and hoarse that Lu Jingran froze, clearly not expecting my voice to be in such bad shape.

He looked at me, lips parting as if he might say something. In the end, all he said was, “The Tang family’s patriarch is celebrating his eightieth birthday in a few days. I’ll take you along and show you how respectable people live.”

I nodded without a word. I had no right to refuse.

The day of the banquet soon arrived. Lu Jingran personally chose a gown for me and told me to take his arm.

He seemed to be in a decent mood. I thought perhaps the day would pass without incident.

Just before we were due to leave, Qin Yan called him. I did not know what she said, but he rushed out at once.

He left me alone in the boutique without saying where he was going or whether he would return.

I could not leave. I had to wait.

If he came back and found me gone, he would fly into a rage.

I waited until evening, while the banquet began without us.

Maybe we were no longer going. I could live with that.

Then, to my surprise, Lu Jingran returned.

He had changed clothes and was visibly in a foul mood.

“Let’s go.”

I rose and obediently climbed into the car.

We sped all the way to the Tang residence. The moment Lu Jingran got out, he strode off without waiting for me.

I did not know a single person there, and he moved so fast that I soon lost sight of him. I stood alone in the crowded hall, bewildered and anxious.

“Miss Meng, Mr. Lu is asking for you. Please come with me.”

A servant led me to a private suite. Before we even entered, I heard Lu Jingran’s furious voice.

“Where is she?

“Find her and bring her here, now!”

I hurried through the door.

The instant he saw me, he rushed over and seized my shoulders, his eyes bloodshot.

“Where the hell have you been?”

I stared at him helplessly. “You walked too fast. I couldn’t keep up.”

“How can you be so useless? I never should’ve brought you!”

He released me, fell back onto the sofa, and rubbed his brow. “Sing.”

Whenever his temper grew uncontrollable, he made me sing to calm him.

There were faster, easier ways for me to help him. He wanted none of them.

This was about humiliating me.

As always, I sang through the night. Only after my voice had gone ragged and Lu Jingran had finally fallen asleep did I slip from the room.

A woman was standing across the corridor.

“Hello. My name is Cheng Yi.”

I nodded. “Meng Tan.”

She told me she needed my help. After a few questions, I learned that she had a beastfolk companion who had been born with a physical defect, and she hoped I could heal him.

She was the first human I had ever met who sought treatment on behalf of beastfolk.

Despite the risk, I agreed.

She was more concerned about my throat.

I smiled. “It’s all right. If you wait for my voice to recover, you may be waiting forever.

“Besides, I need payment.”

Lu Jingran never denied me food or clothing, but he gave me no money of my own. If I could, I wanted to do something for my people.

Cheng Yi readily agreed and arranged everything at once.

Her companion was not especially difficult to heal.

What I did not expect was for Lu Jingran to catch me on the way back.

He stood outside the Tang residence, his expression black with anger. My legs trembled as I got out of the car.